Food Banks Feel Impact From Food Stamp Cuts

Food Banks Feel Impact From Food Stamp Cuts

Life is going to get just a little bit harder for 47 million Americans.

That’s when an across-the-board increase in food stamp benefits goes away. That means a family of four will get 36 dollars less per month. It doesn’t sound like much, but hunger experts say that 36 dollars can buy 20 meals.

Food stamps are now officially called SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The name changed in 2008 and soon after so did the politics. A traditionally bi-partisan program turned into anything but.

We sent KCPT Special Correspondent Sam Zeff out to see how all of this is playing out in Kansas and Missouri.

This week, a House-Senate conference committee met for the first time to, among other things, talk about how much more to cut food stamp benefits. The Senate has proposed four-billion dollars in cuts. The House 40-billion.

Also, Governor Jay Nixon said he wanted to change the work rules in Missouri, but he back-tracked after an outcry from Democrats in the General Assembly.

And finally, Harvesters says it will continue its food stamp outreach program without the grant money turned down by Kansas. They plan to find the money somewhere else.